AS YOU HIT THE ROADS AS YOU KEEP YOUR SON. TOYOTA TIME SAVER TRAFFIC.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: FLORIDA
BEGINS ITS 2022 LEGISLATIVE
SESSION TODAY. THERE ARE 2
THINGS THAT MUST BE
ACCOMPLISHED IN TALLAHASSEE.
PASS A MASSIVE STATE BUDGET
AND REDRAW THE STATE’S
POLITICAL LINES. IT WAS
POLITICAL ANALYST AND HEAD OF
THE JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY
PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE. LADY
JOINS US AGAIN HERE IN THE
MORNING SHOW MORNING, RICK.
ONE PRIEST, GREAT TO BE WITH
YOU. ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU
HERE. SO PERHAPS WHAT MAKES
THIS SESSION DIFFERENT FROM
YEARS PAST AS THIS ONE IS
SHAPED VERY MUCH SO BY
GOVERNOR DESANTIS, HIS AGENDA.
AND HE HAS NOT BEEN SHY AND
PROMOTING IT.
>> WELL, BRUCE, HIS AGENDA
WILL BE FRONT AND CENTER AND
YOU’RE READY HASN’T BEEN SHY
ABOUT IT. THERE WAS A SPECIAL
SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE IN
NOVEMBER WITH THE GOVERNOR’S
AGENDA AS IT RELATED COVID-19
AND IN PARTICULAR, THE SHARP
CONTRAST WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN,
HIS APPROACH AND BE IN TIME
ENDING IN 10 8 FOR MASKS FOR
VACCINES. AND OF COURSE, A
GREAT PROMOTER OF KEEPING
SCHOOLS OPEN. BUT FOR THIS
AGENDA, HIS AGENDA WILL BE THE
GOVERNOR’S AGENDA WILL BE
FRONT AND CENTER. BUT OTHER
THINGS ARE SPECIAL ABOUT THE
SESSION. ONE. REMEMBER, THIS
IS AN ELECTION THIS IS AN
ELECTION YEAR FOR THE
GOVERNOR. IT’S ALSO MUCH IN
YOUR FOR THE FLORIDA
LEGISLATURE. NEARLY ALL OF
THAT OF THE 120 HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVE MEMBERS. ALL OF
THEM WILL BE FACING REELECTION
IN NOVEMBER. AND OF COURSE, OF
THE $0.40 20 OF THEM WILL BE
FACING REELECTION. SO IT’S A
BIG ELECTION YEAR. ALSO,
REAPPORTIONMENT, IT SHOULD
DOMINATE THE SESSION. AND
REMEMBER, THERE CAN BE DRAWING
LINES EVERY 10 YEARS, STRONG
LINES FOR THOSE 120 HOUSE
SEATS AS 40 SENATE SEATS IN
THE 28 CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS. SO THAT WILL BE A
BIG PART OF THAT. YES, THE
GOVERNOR’S AGENDA WILL BE
FRONT AND CENTER. SOME OF THAT
WILL APPEAL TO A CONSERVATIVE
BASE AND SOME OF THEM WILL
HAVE A MUCH BROADER AUDIENCE.
YEAH, YOU DO HAVE A MAN WHO
PRESUMABLY IS GOING TO MAKE A
RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE,
THOUGH HE’S NOT SAID SO.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: OFFICIALLY.
AND THERE’S SOME THINGS THAT
APPEAR TO BE IN THIS JEN
AGENDA RESEMBLE ANOTHER
AGENDA.
>> BRUCE, THERE’S NO DOUBT
THAT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE IN
THIS AGENDA. SOME SOME
PROPOSALS THAT WILL APPEAL TO
A CONSERVATIVE BASE. THERE’S
NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. BUT
YOU’RE ALSO TO SEE SOME
BROADER PROPOSALS, FOR
EXAMPLE, WHEN HE BEGINS TO
TALK ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT,
WHICH IS A BIG PRIORITY FOR
THE GOVERNOR IN FUNDING FOR
THE YOU’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
FUNDING FOR TEACHERS AND
INCREASE PAY FOR TEACHERS. BUT
MAKE NO MISTAKE MUCH OF THE
AGENDA YOU TALK ABOUT WILL
APPEAL TO CONSERVATIVE BASE IN
FLORIDA AND TO A BROADER
NATIONAL AUDIENCE FOR THE
GOVERNOR. THERE’S ELECTION 10
MONTHS, BUT THERE’S ALSO 2024
AND HE’S CERTAINLY VERY WELL
SO LET’S LOOK AT SOME OF THE
OTHER BIG ISSUES THAT ARE
FRONT AND CENTER BANNING
TEACHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY
AND CREATING AN OFFICE TO
INVESTIGATE.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: VOTER FRAUD
IN THE STATE WHERE THERE WAS
REALLY LITTLE EVIDENCE OF
WIDESPREAD VOTER FRAUD AND
PREVENTING STATE AGENCIES FROM
PROVIDING BENEFITS TO
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. SO
LET’S START WITH CRITICAL RACE
THEORY.
>> WELL, BRUCE, YOU SAW THIS
IN THE VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S
RACE AND YOU’RE NOW SEEING IT
HERE IN FLORIDA AND YOU’RE
SEEING IT IN OTHER PARTS OF
THE COUNTRY. THIS IS A IT’S A
HOT BUTTON ISSUE FOR MANY IN
THE FOR MANY CONSERVATIVES.
AND GOVERNOR DESANTIS HAS BEEN
VERY, VERY STRONG ON THIS
ISSUE. YOU SAW IT IN NOVEMBER
IN VIRGINIA. YOU’RE GOING TO
SEE IT HERE. REMEMBER,
LEGISLATIVE BODIES DO 2
THINGS. THEY APPROPRIATE MONEY
IN THIS CASE 100 BILLION
DOLLARS IN THE SESSION AND
THEY PASS LAWS AND THESE LAWS,
SOME OF THESE LAWS WILL BE
DIRECTED TO THAT CONSERVATIVE
BASE. AND THAT’S CLEARLY WANT.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: DO WE REALLY
NEED A AN INVESTIGATIVE BODY
FOR VOTER FRAUD GIVEN THE
STATE’S
>> WELL, FLORIDA, FORTUNATELY
IN TWENTY-TWENTY HAVING THE
BEST RESULT OF ANYWHERE IN THE
COUNTRY. AND THAT’S THE RESULT
OF 20 YEARS OF REFORM BECAUSE
OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE IN 2000.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF
THOSE ISSUES, VOTER SECURITY
THAT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT
TO THE BASE. AND IN FOR THE
GOVERNOR, HE’S MADE IT CLEAR
THAT THAT IS NOT THE
APPROPRIATION. THERE WILL BE
RELATIVELY SMALL COMPARED TO
THE OVERALL BUDGET. BUT AGAIN,
THE GOVERNOR PLAYING TO
REPUBLICAN BASE IN A BROADER
AUDIENCE, ELECTION. SECURITY
AND ACCESS ARE BIG ISSUES. BUT
THIS IS ABOUT ELECTION
SECURITY. VERY IMPORTANT TO
THE BASE OF THE PARTY AND
BEFORE RUN OUT OF TIME, LET ME
ASK YOU ABOUT REAPPORTIONMENT.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: IT’S A ONCE
IN A DECADE KIND OF THING.
FLORIDA’S GOING TO GET ONE
MORE SEAT IN CONGRESS. LIKELY
REPUBLICAN.
>> REESE, LIKELY, BUT NOT SO
SURE. REMEMBER THIS 10 YEARS
AGO WHEN THE REPUBLICANS WERE
CONTROLLED LEGISLATURE, THEM,
THOUGHT THEY HAD A LOT OF
LITIGATION COURT ORDERS
DEPOSITIONS. THEY’D LIKE TO
AVOID IT THIS TIME IN THE
SENATE. THE MAPS THAT HAVE
BEEN PRODUCED, QUITE FRANKLY,
HAVE NOT GOTTEN OBJECTIONS
FROM DEMOCRATS AND SOME
SUPPORT. AND THAT’S COMING
FROM THE HOUSE SIDE. HAVE THIS
EXTRA SEAT IS LIKELY TO BECOME
THE ORLANDO TAMPA AREA WHERE
THERE’S BEEN SOME GROWTH. IT
WILL DOMINATE THE SESSION.
YOU’RE LIKELY SEE THAT THE END
OF THE SESSION. BUT IT MAY NOT
BE QUITE AS CONTENTIOUS AS
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE, LIKELY
REPUBLICAN, BUT WE’RE GOING TO